Ralenth
by DavestWriterDavidson
Summary: A drunk lost in time relates the tale of Ralenth the Traitor, his former- or yet to be -friend.


_An Old Man's Tale of Ralenth the Traitor_

The members of the small tavern in the snowed in town had always paid little mind to the drunk who sat in the corner, dressed in his grey and tattered robes. Many claimed he had drunk himself blind and dumb long ago, but he somehow always had coin to pay for that which he consumed. Generally, even though he was often stared at, he was an impenetrable hole at the bar who nobody dared come closer than necessary to.

One day, as the barmaid was cleaning the tables, she reached the one he had sat himself down at. Normally, she would've skipped as usual and cleaned it instead when he left- however, today, she plopped herself and her rag down next to him.

"Oi, there, old man. What ye be sitting here for anyways?" She asked.

"Waitin' for a friend o' mine, lass." He grumbled out behind a mass of grey beard and sticky grog.

"You been waitin' quite awhile for that friend of yours, greybeard. Don't much think they'll be comin' for you."

He turned and, for the first time, she got a good look at his eyes. They were like a small pond of blues and browns. In them, she saw longing and sadness, but no hope. The young barmaid almost wanted to avert her eyes from his gaze, but she held true as he studied her.

Eventually, he set down his mug and turned to her.

"Let me tell you a story, lassy. Lots o' folk always wonder why I'm here, but I'm only tellin' you. You never talk bad of me, and you keep the mead flowing strong- so, I'm thinking, you deserve to know."

Looking around at the empty bar, she shrugged and figured there were worse ways to spend an evening as the endless blizzards outside continued to howl, especially with that madwoman who had been wreaking havoc on southern towns on the loose.

"Alright, greybeard, I think ye've earned that much."

For the first time, I saw the hint of a smile. He downed one last drink, and then, staring into the bottom of his mug, began to speak. His words seemed to flow like the windy snows outside, and, in a sudden moment, I was blown away with them as he began to speak.

_ "__In the future, I'll meet a lass with red hair. Her yellow eyes will burn bright with rage, and her fists will be clenched in anger. The battleaxe at her back will be stained with the blood of countless creatures, and her blood will burn strong with the fires of war. She'll come to this bar, and by fate I'll leave with her. We'll start for profit, for selfish desires… Though, our path will lead us far from that. Our destinies will split, and I'll be back here one day, but just before that we'll be on the precipice of her learning her true destiny…"_

As I pulled myself up the cliffside, my hands digging into the snow and loose rocks, I looked behind myself to see if my companion was still following me. Like clockwork, I saw him right below me. Dressed in the same tattered grey rags he'd worn ever since I'd known him, but outfitted with fresh boots and steel gauntlets we'd procured from a town's guard, he continued working his way up the cliff face without much complaint.

"Come, Gandalf, not too far now, my friend!" I shouted to him before returning to the task at hand.

According to the Elders of the land, my destiny lay at the top of this mountain. I, apparently, was gifted with special powers that I could use by way of shouting. A dead language, known only by them and the dragons, they'd said. Strange enough as that had been, but if there was a profit to be made in this escapade I was willing to follow it straight to the top.

Eventually, myself and Gandalf had reached an outcropping and we took a moment to gather our breath. I checked my sword, the Dawnbreaker, and saw it still glowed brightly with the light of the Goddess Meridia. She'd bestowed it upon me so that I would bring her light to all of the lands, and crushed any traitors who threatened her power. A nice sentiment, and if it hadn't been for her beauty and the blessings she granted me I may have simply thought of it as nothing more than a weapon with which more could fall by.

Underneath my armour and assassin's robes, I could feel the chill winds biting at my bones.

_Even Winterhold was never this cold_, I thought to myself as I removed my mask and my hood.

Checking on Gandalf, I saw he had injured his leg and had a number of deep gashes along his hands.

"I'll be fine, I don't need you to nursemaid me." He said, waving me off.

Unfortunately for him, he was the one person I considered worthy enough of being my friend. So, gathering the powers that be, I channeled my energies into a healing magic that the College of Winterhold had taught to me and gradually began to patch him up.

By the time I was finished, he chuckled at me and said the line I already knew was coming: "Hey, my hangover is gone!"

Rolling my eyes, I donned my hood once again and helped the old man to his feet. He'd been saying that ever since I first used my magic to heal him from the bandits that had attacked us. It grinded on my nerves at times, but I knew he meant it in good jest. He'd barely had time to drink since our journey started- if we weren't being chased by guards, we were off pillaging and profiting off the people of the land.

"So, Ralenth, think whatever is up there has some good coin for us?" He remarked, rubbing his finger and thumb together.

"Not a clue, my friend, but if he's got anything worthwhile we'll be damn sure to take it from him. Come, let's keep going- not much further now." I said, beginning to walk up the winding pathway that now illuminated itself as the winds lightened for a moment.

As he followed behind me, Gandalf spoke again.

"How do you think this'll turn out? We split the profits fifty-fifty right?"

I glanced at him, a smirk edging across my frostbitten lips. "We'll split them one hundred to you get to live in my house when we're done, old man."

He shrugged and pulled himself forward with his staff. "If that's the way it must be. You still smitten for that tavern girl from Riften?"

I laughed, probably harder and louder than I would've normally- but the muscles moving inside me that allowed me to do so provided a good amount of warmth that I desperately needed.

"If I survive through this all, then yes. She's definitely the one for me, Gandalf."

"Good thing she doesn't know about all your exploits, Ralenth."

I pondered the thought for a mere moment with a smile before I retorted.

"Gandalf, when was the last time you had an unexpressed thought?"

"Not for ages now, not since you dragged me all over kingdom come."

"Hey, it's been well worth it," I said, looking back at the old man who hobbled up behind me, "You've been well rewarded."

"Maybe my pockets have, but our hands and souls are stained with the blood of how many?"

"As many as need be." I said, stopping and turning to him. "To me, the only lives that matter are mine and yours. The rest of this damned place can go to Hell in a handbasket for all I care- just so long as the highest bidder wants _me_," I thumbed at my chest, "To do their dirty work. Since when did you get concerned about what we're doing?"

He shook his head and held his hands up in defense. "Me? Concerned? No, not at all Ralenth."

_The old man may be my friend, but he's wise enough to not cross me- especially not on the side of this mountain. What's he getting at? _I thought as I felt the burn of untamed angers fill my eyes.

"It's just that, before it's all over, I figured you could do some good with your life. These Elders believe you're important, lass, and if you are- I highly hope you consider that your actions could decide the fate of these lands. Let them remember you not just as Ralenth the Traitor, but as Ralenth the Saviour- or something heroic like that."

He pushed past me, and for a moment I couldn't believe what I'd heard. However, he didn't allow me to respond.

"Come on then, let's go have a date with destiny. 'Sides, this cold's no good to stand in."

I shook my head and looked after him as he walked further into the fog and the mist.

_He's the oddest man I've ever known, but Gandalf knows more than I do. I can feel it. Whatever he's trying to tell me- it'd be best to take it with care._

Eventually we'd reached the top. What we'd found was, unfortunately, and elder dragon who begged for my help. He said much the same that the other Elders had said, but he also said he had a vision to show me. I looked to Gandalf as the dragon handed me the scroll that would allow me to see what needed to be seen, and, clutching his staff, he'd nodded at me with… A solemn smile?

He'd been acting odd ever since we'd first met the Elders a week ago. He'd randomly disappear during missions, he'd say the oddest things, and then, on the climb up here, he'd asked me to do some good before we were done. Ever since I'd met him, he'd seemed rather off. Probably why I'd picked him up out of his drunken stupor in the first place, he was different and unique.

However, these thoughts I could deal with another time. Right now, I had a vision to see.

When I returned from my vision of the past, Gandalf had disappeared. I looked around for him as the dragon continued to impart his wisdom on me, but I paid little attention to it. When I questioned the dragon, using my magic to forcefully pull him down to my level, the dragon feigned ignorance.

I sliced at him with the Dawnbreaker, but he still didn't answer my questions.

Whatever had happened to Gandalf, I had to find out. Perhaps the man who fought off the first dragon king in my vision, who was dressed in the same style of grey robes Gandalf had always worn, could tell me more. However, when I tried to open the scroll again, it didn't activate. Frustrated, I punched at the sacred stones that were pillared around the mountain top.

Perhaps my friend was somewhere further along my path. I demanded of the dragon where I had to go next, and, once he told me, I quickly set off- determined to find the only man who had been worthy of my friendship. Whatever had happened to him, I would cut through as many demons, dragons, beasts, or men as it would take until I found him again.

_"__She looked everywhere for me, but she'd never find me. For all we'd been through, I'd never see how her journey ended. Only how it began."_

The old man smiled sorrowfully, and the barmaid swore she saw a tear in his eye. He nodded to himself and took a swig of his drink again.

Just then, the door to the bar was forced open and a woman in ragged armour with red hair and burning yellow eyes stepped in from the blizzards outside. A woman the barmaid had only known by the wanted posters that had been spread from the far southern town of Whiterun:

Ralenth the Traitor.


End file.
